The Bad: Offense Stagnates
As it has for most of the 2024 season, the Sooners offense hasn’t been very good. It wasn’t very good again in the loss to LSU. They had one touchdown drive and one drive that ended in a field goal. All in the first half.
Oklahoma had five possessions end in a punt, one on an interception, one on a failed fourth down conversion, and drives that ended with the conclusion of the first half and one that ended the game. Just two of the Sooners 11 drives ended in points.
The running game struggled outside of Jackson Arnold and Arnold couldn’t get the ball down the field despite completing 67% of his passes.
It was a microcosm of what the 2024 season has been. The offense has to get significantly better this offseason if they want to have a chance to improve upon the six wins they registered this season.
The Ugly: Trick Played Themselves
For whatever reason, Joe Jon Finley loves a good throwback pass. The Sooners have run one in just about every game in which he’s been the offensive coordinator. The Sooners ran it with success against Missouri to score a touchdown, but for the most part, it’s been ineffective. On Saturday night against LSU, it was a risk that wasn’t worth taking.
Oklahoma had a second-and-six in LSU territory. They’d moved the ball 38 yards on the drive. They had three plays to try and get a first down and didn’t need to throw the ball five yards behind the line of scrimmage to their tight end with the hopes of pulling off the trick play. Bauer Sharp had nowhere to go with the ball as Jackson Arnold was covered on the throwback and the wide receiver was covered down the field.
It was a bad play call made worse by Sharp’s attempt to throw the ball while in the grasp of an LSU defender. Just chucking it into the air to no one, in particular, led to an interception that prevented the Sooners from cutting into the Tigers’ 14-point lead.
That play call essentially ended the game for the Sooners.